boîte

Boîte is a French noun with several common meanings that depend on context. The basic sense is a container or box, but the word also refers to cans, venues, and workplaces. It is feminine, la boîte, with the plural boîtes.

As a box or container, une boîte denotes a container made of cardboard, wood, or metal used to store items. Common phrases include boîte à outils (toolbox), boîte aux lettres (mailbox), and boîte à lunch (lunch box). The term can also describe packaging or small storage receptacles.

In culinary and consumer language, une boîte de conserve means a tin can containing food. Other cans are described similarly, for example une boîte de sardines. The word can appear in casual speech for beverage cans, though canette is often preferred in that context.

In informal speech, boîte also means a company or workplace. On dit travailler dans une boîte or une grande boîte for a large firm, reflecting business as a discrete, organized entity.

A fifth meaning concerns entertainment and nightlife: a nightclub or bar. In everyday language, on parle d’aller en boîte or de sortir en boîte to indicate going out clubbing.

In technical vocabulary, boîte appears in specialized terms such as boîte de vitesses (gearbox), boîte électrique (electrical box), boîte à fusibles (fuse box), and boîte noire (black box). The word also appears in everyday expressions like boîte aux lettres and boîte à outils, illustrating its versatile role in French.